Safety caps for electrical outlets have been used to reduce the hazard to small children from shocks and electrocution. However, the present inventor recognized that these safety caps introduce their own hazard to small children from choking. The hazard may arise when a small child finds a safety cap on the floor or on a window sill. The hazard can also arise when the child pulls the safety cap from a wall outlet or when an older sister or brother removes a safety cap from a wall outlet and gives the cap to the smaller child. Data from the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (USCPSC) demonstrates numerous reported incidents in which infants and toddlers pulled electric outlet safety caps from outlets and put them in their mouths. The USCPSC listing provides a hazard code: “suffocation or strangulation.”
Thus, a better design for an electrical outlet safety cap is needed that maintains safety from electrical shock while improving safety with regard to choking. The improved design is provided by the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an electrical outlet safety cap that has a safety cap shield to cover the electrical outlet and at least one opening in the safety cap shield located and sized so that a child can breath through the opening in the cap shield if the child puts the safety cap in his or her mouth;
It is a further object of the present invention to provide the opening in the safety cap shield sufficiently spaced from the position of the electrical contact hole so that objects a child may stick through the opening in the safety cap shield when the safety cap is located to protect a wall outlet do not enter the electrical contact hole of the wall outlet;
It is a further object of the present invention to provide the opening in the electrical outlet safety cap shield with a sufficient size so that sufficient air can be drawn through the opening for breathing in the event a child does take the safety cap in his or her mouth and so that medical personal can use the opening to facilitate removing the cap from a child's throat or other oriface;
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an electrical outlet safety cap for an electric outlet comprising a safety cap shield extending to cover the electrical contact hole, wherein the shield has a dimension larger than standard sized shields and sufficiently large to reduce the opportunity for a small child to take the safety cap in his or her mouth and choke on the safety cap;
It is a feature of the present invention to provide the electrical outlet safety cap for an electric outlet wherein the safety cap shield has a dimension of at least about 1⅔ inches;
It is a feature of the present invention that the electrical outlet cap has an opening to allow a small child to continue breathing through the opening if the child does get the cap in her mouth; and
It is an advantage of the present invention that a small child will not be able to choke on the larger sized electrical outlet cap of the present invention;
It is an advantage of the present invention that if a small child does get the safety cap of the present invention in a position in her mouth where it could choke her, the opening in the cap will provide a way for her to still continue breathing and a way for medical personnel to grasp and remove the cap.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention are accomplished by a safety cap for an electric outlet having an electrical contact hole. A shield portion of the safety cap extends to cover the electrical contact hole. The shield includes an opening. The opening in the shield has a sufficient size for reducing a choking hazard.
Another aspect of the invention is a method of fabricating a safety cap for an electric outlet comprising the step of providing a safety cap having a shield. The method also includes the step of providing an opening in the shield. The opening is sized to allow sufficient air to flow there through to reduce a choking hazard for a small child.
Another aspect of the invention is a safety cap for an electric outlet. The electrical contact has an electrical contact hole. A shield portion of the safety cap extends to cover the electrical contact hole. The shield has a dimension large enough to avoid a choking hazard for small children.